Methods and systems for irrigation and climate control

ABSTRACT

Methods and systems are provided for monitoring and controlling irrigation and climate conditions in landscapes (such as, e.g., municipal parks, gardens, and sports fields) and agricultural environments (such as, e.g., open agricultural fields, greenhouses, and other sites growing crops).

CROSS REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS

This application is a continuation of U.S. patent application Ser. No.15/616,736 filed Jun. 7, 2017 and entitled METHODS AND SYSTEMS FORIRRIGATION AND CLIMATE CONTROL, which is a continuation of U.S. patentapplication Ser. No. 13/844,304 filed Mar. 15, 2013 and entitled METHODSAND SYSTEMS FOR IRRIGATION AND CLIMATE CONTROL, which is acontinuation-in-part of U.S. patent application Ser. No. 13/532,557filed Jun. 25, 2012 and entitled METHODS AND SYSTEMS FOR IRRIGATION ANDCLIMATE CONTROL, which application claims priority from U.S. ProvisionalPatent Application No. 61/500,392 filed on Jun. 23, 2011 and entitledMETHODS AND SYSTEMS FOR IRRIGATION AND CLIMATE CONTROL, all of which arehereby incorporated by reference.

BACKGROUND

The present application relates generally to methods and systems formonitoring and controlling irrigation and climate conditions inlandscapes (such as, e.g., municipal parks, gardens, and sports fields)and agricultural environments (such as, e.g., open agricultural fields,greenhouses, and other sites growing crops).

BRIEF SUMMARY

A web-based remote monitoring and control system is provided inaccordance with one or more embodiments for monitoring environmental,soil, or climate conditions and/or controlling irrigation or climatecontrol systems at an agricultural or landscape site. In someembodiments, at least one control and/or sensor node or other controland/or sensor device, controller or element monitors environmental,soil, or climate conditions and/or controls one or more irrigation orclimate control systems at the site. The remote monitoring and controlsystem communicates with the node/s over a communications network toreceive data from and control operation of the node/s. The system can beaccessed by personal computers, mobile devices, and other client devicesoperated by end-users. These devices communicate over a communicationsnetwork with the system. The system transmits data to and receivesremote control commands or queries from end-users.

Users can remotely control irrigation or climate control systems at oneor more agricultural or landscape sites for which the users haveauthorization or access to do so. The system provides a user interfacedisplaying the information for one or more sites by customizable windows(portlets on a dashboard) in one page (a dashboard) or at multiplerespective pages. The system provides quick access to charts, reports,maps and gives the end user flexibility with various add/remove/editoptions.

Various embodiments of the invention are provided in the followingdetailed description. As will be realized, the invention is capable ofother and different embodiments, and its several details may be capableof modifications in various respects, all without departing from theinvention. Accordingly, the drawings and description are to be regardedas illustrative in nature and not in a restrictive or limiting sense,with the scope of the application being indicated in the claims.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

FIG. 1 is a schematic diagram illustrating a web-based remote monitoringand control system in accordance with one or more embodiments.

FIG. 2 is a flowchart illustrating an exemplary user login process flowin accordance with one or more embodiments.

FIG. 3 is a flowchart illustrating an exemplary customizable dashboardpage display/edit process flow in accordance with one or moreembodiments.

FIG. 4 is a flowchart illustrating an exemplary chartcreate/edit/display process flow in accordance with one or moreembodiments.

FIG. 5 is a flowchart illustrating an exemplary crop health monitorprocess flow in accordance with one or more embodiments.

FIG. 6 is a flowchart illustrating an exemplary degree days calculationprocess flow in accordance with one or more embodiments.

FIG. 7 is a flowchart illustrating an exemplary report creation processflow in accordance with one or more embodiments.

FIG. 8 is a flowchart illustrating an exemplary data repair process flowin accordance with one or more embodiments.

FIG. 9 is a flowchart illustrating an exemplary notepad usage processflow in accordance with one or more embodiments.

FIG. 10 is a flowchart illustrating an exemplary site or station mapusage process flow in accordance with one or more embodiments.

FIG. 11 is a flowchart illustrating an exemplary control process flow inaccordance with one or more embodiments.

FIG. 12 is a flowchart illustrating an exemplary irrigation alertprocess flow in accordance with one or more embodiments.

FIGS. 13-57 are exemplary screenshots illustrating various aspects ofthe remote monitoring and control system user interface in accordancewith various embodiments.

FIG. 58 is an exemplary system diagram of a web-based remote monitoringand/or control system in accordance with one or more embodiments.

FIGS. 59-63 are exemplary screenshots illustrating various aspects ofthe remote monitoring and control system user interface relating to thedisplay of information for multiple sites in accordance with variousembodiments.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

In accordance with one or more embodiments, a web-based remotemonitoring and control system is provided for monitoring environmental,soil, or climate conditions and controlling irrigation or climatecontrol systems at an agricultural or landscape site. In someembodiments, the system includes one or more devices or nodes at eachsite for monitoring environmental, soil, or climate conditions and/orfor controlling one or more irrigation or climate control systems at thesite. In some embodiments, the system includes a wireless sensor networkat each site including a plurality of sensor and/or control nodes formonitoring environmental, soil, or climate conditions and and/orcontrolling one or more irrigation or climate control systems at thesite. The remote monitoring and control system can be accessed by usersoperating client devices such as personal computers and mobile devicesover a communications network. Users can use the system for receivingdata from and transmitting remote control commands or queries to thesystem. The web-based remote monitoring and control system communicateswith the local nodes, devices and/or local wireless network over acommunications network. The system receives data from and controlsoperation of the nodes.

A web-based remote monitoring and control system user interface inaccordance with one or more embodiments can include one or more of thefollowing features:

-   -   Main Dashboard (containing summary information in portlets or        windows)        -   Quick access to the current site status (forecast,            temperature, humidity, degree days etc.)        -   Charts        -   Crop health monitors        -   Readings        -   Events (e.g. control events)        -   Alerts        -   Pump status monitoring        -   Farm management and information (e.g. budget and yield            status)        -   Soil nutrient status        -   Irrigation status/activity (show flow status, show valve            status)        -   Notes        -   Maps (shows irrigation zones, soil status with color            indicators—e.g. blue for wet, red for dry and green for            normal)        -   Station/sensor status    -   More detailed information in respective pages, which can be        accessed through the dashboard        -   Data charts        -   Crop health monitors        -   Readings        -   Event        -   Alerts        -   Pump status monitoring        -   Farm management and information (e.g., budget and yield            status)        -   Soil nutrient status        -   Irrigation status        -   Reports        -   Maps        -   Degree Days        -   Control Elements & Conditions        -   Monitoring Elements & Irrigation Alerts    -   Switchable screen configuration:        -   Mobile user interface        -   Classic personal computer screen user interface            It is understood that this is not intended to be an            exhaustive listing of all possible windows and/or features            and information displayable to users, as such will be            implementation dependent.

FIG. 1 illustrates the architecture of an exemplary web-based remoteclimate monitoring and control system for an irrigation/climate controlsite (e.g., greenhouse, open field, or landscape) 1 in accordance withone or more embodiments. The system can be accessed by users usingvarious client devices such as, e.g., a mobile device 6 or personalcomputer 5. In the illustrated embodiment, the system includes awireless sensor network 2 having a plurality of sensor and/or controlnodes installed in the site. The sensor network 2 includes sensor nodes,which form an ad-hoc (i.e., dynamic) wireless sensor network and monitorclimate, environmental, and soil conditions, and to collectmeasurements. The sensor nodes send these measurements to a centralcomputer server 4 through a communications network 3 such as a cellularnetwork (e.g., GPRS, Edge, UMTS etc.) or a wireless wideband network(e.g., WiMAX). In other embodiments, the communications network includesa wireless wideband network, such as a satellite communications network.Users can communicate with the central server system 4 through a networksuch as the Internet 7 or a combination of networks, not only to gatherthe site information but also to configure the user interface accordingto the user settings stored on the server. FIG. 58 illustrates anotherembodiment of an exemplary web-based monitoring and/or control system.

In some embodiments, the wireless sensor network includes one or moregeneral nodes or devices, such as one or more sensor devices and/orcontrol devices, controllers or elements. At least one node is coupledto a sensor and receives sensor data. At least one node is coupled toand controls at least a portion of the irrigation or climate system,e.g., at least one node is coupled to an irrigation valve controllingthe flow of water therethrough. In some cases, a given node is a controlonly node or the node is a sensor only node. In other cases, a givennode is both a sensor and control node. It is understood that the numberof nodes at a given site depends on the needs of the irrigation site,e.g., a given site may have 1-n nodes or devices, each having sensorand/or control functionality. Thus, in a general sense, the variousmethods and systems described herein are applicable to a variety ofirrigation and/or climate monitoring and/or control systems, such thatauthorized users are provided remote access to information from thesystem/s and/or to remotely control the system/s via interaction with aconfigurable user interface provided by a server in communication withthe local system/s. Typically, the server is coupled to a wide areanetwork accessible by the remote users, e.g., coupled to the Internet.The server stores user information, user login and authorizationinformation and system information for many irrigation and/or climatemonitoring and/or control systems located at various sites. The servermanages access to such sites allowing users only to get access to thosesystems and sites that the particular user is so authorized, and is notprovided access to those systems and sites that the user particular useris not so authorized.

FIG. 2 illustrates an exemplary end-user login flow to the web-basedmonitoring system. When the end user enters the username and password atthe login page, a login check is performed on the server side, comparingwith the information on the central database server as shown in step(A1). Login check can include: username and password match check, anduser status check (active, inactive, blocked, expired). If the user isvalid, the end-user can enter the system and display the accessiblesites for that user by switching between sites as shown in step (A3). Itis noted that in some embodiments, specifically referred to withreferences to FIGS. 58-63 , users authorized to access multiple sitesmay not be required to switch between authorized sites (or otherwise logout of one site and log in to another site). The end-user can alsoswitch between mobile and classic look of the pages as shown in step(A2). Users can display/change site/user data through main dashboard orat the respective pages as shown in step (A4). They can exit any time(A5), and after the logout confirmation page (A6) return to the loginpage (A7).

FIG. 3 illustrates an exemplary main dashboard page process flow for allusers. This customized page includes user added charts, readings,events, alerts, field and sensor status windows. The current fieldstatus window (portlet) gives the user quick access to the mostimportant data from the site such as temperature, humidity, degree days,dew point, and ET (Evapotranspiration) values along with the liveforecast info for that site by its zip code as shown in step (B1), FIG.13 , and mobile screen view FIG. 15 are exemplary dashboard screenshots. Users can display this portlet for the selected stations anddegree days definitions as shown in steps (B2 and B3) and exemplary FIG.16 . Clicking on the degree days configuration link makes it very easyto access the details and will take the user to the degree dayscalculation page. All portlets can be minimized. Current field statusportlet is minimized in FIG. 14 . FIG. 6 describes the details fordegree days calculation.

A Notes window shows the last edited notes by the users or theadministrators for that site. Users can add or delete notes on the mainpage (dashboard) as shown in step (B4) and FIG. 13 . Clicking on “More”button makes it very easy to access the note details and takes the userto the notepad as shown in step (B5) and exemplary FIG. 41 . FIG. 9describes the details for note creation and usage.

Users can add as many charts to the main page as they want as shown instep (B6) and FIG. 13 and FIG. 57 . Clicking on edit lets the user addthe predefined charts to the dashboard as shown in step (B7) andexemplary FIG. 17 . Clicking on the charts makes it very easy to accesschart details and takes the user to the charts page in static mode asshown in step (B8) and exemplary FIG. 19 . FIG. 4 describes the detailsfor charts.

Users can display last alert events, control events, and water events inrespective windows as shown in steps (B9, B10, B11, B12, B13, B14) andFIG. 14 . Clicking on “More” buttons takes the user to the respectiveevent detail pages.

Last readings for selected stations can be viewed in another window asshown in step (B15) and FIG. 14 . Users can change the station to beviewed on the edit menu (B16) and go to reading details page by clicking“More” button (B17).

Crop health information is important to the user to see on the mainpage. Predefined health monitors' summaries for pest and diseases arelisted on the portlets at step (B18) and FIG. 14 . Clicking on any datawill open the crop health monitor configuration page at step (B19). FIG.5 describes the details for crop health monitors.

Station status displays the reading success percentage for the stations,their battery usage, and signals. In addition to those temperature andhumidity are displayed on the same table as shown in step (B21), FIG. 13and FIG. 57 . Irrigation portlet is a quick way to display theirrigation status (B20) as shown in exemplary FIG. 46 . Other statusportlets are farm management and information, pump status, and soilnutrient status (B22, B23, B24).

Refresh link is to refresh the windows on the dashboard instead ofrefreshing the entire page. All the windows can be moved to anotherposition by clicking on the banner of the window and dragging to the newposition. The windows can be minimized or closed. These are shown instep (B25).

Switching between mobile look and classic look can be done by clickingthe switch link at the left bottom corner of the page as shown in step(B26).

FIG. 4 illustrates the chart creation, configuration flow for theweb-based remote monitoring system. From Data, charts menu, users canopen the charts added before as shown in steps (C1 and C2), or add a newone as shown in step (C3). Charts can be created with preferred stylesas bar, square wave, or line charts. Either during new chart addition ordisplaying an existing chart, users can add new lines to the charts asshown in step (C4) and the exemplary screenshot of FIG. 18 . At thisstep, stations, what data to be read from that station should beselected from the dropdown list. Data lines can include sensormeasurement, calculated values based on sensor data, predictions,disease and pest models. Data line's color, label can be changed.Threshold can be viewed either as band (colored in between) or as limit(can be drawn on the chart). Default initial display is visible, but canbe changed to hidden. Lines can be removed or the configurations can bechanged at any time by the users.

After creating a new one or selecting from the existing chart lists,charts are displayed on the screen as shown in step (C5), the exemplaryscreenshot of FIG. 19 , and the exemplary mobile screen view of FIG. 20. The default display mode is static for all charts (C7). After openinga chart, its view mode can be changed to dynamic by clicking on“Analysis” button at step (C6) and the exemplary screenshot of FIG. 21 .In the dynamic mode, the user can move the cursor and see the details asdate, time and value of the points on the charts as shown in step (C8).Charts have zoom in and zoom out capabilities. Modes can be switched tostatic at any time. In step (C9) “Edit” button opens the configurationpage for the current chart as shown in exemplary FIG. 22 . Time framecan be changed at the configuration page. All changes can be saved andstored in the central database as shown in step (C9). These charts areavailable to be used in dashboard (classic or mobile), PDF reports, etc.Any changes can be viewed from mobile devices as well. Reloading a chartwill refresh the chart with the most recent data from the centraldatabase.

FIG. 5 illustrates the crop health monitoring for the web-based remotemonitoring and control system. Crop health monitoring can be based ontwo types: disease and pest. Those types include disease risk indicesand pest development stages based on non-proprietary models. These crop,disease, and pest kinds can be added by the system administrators atstep (D1) as shown in exemplary FIG. 23 . In step (D2) new crop healthmonitors can be created by clicking on the plus sign at the top rightcorner of the crop health monitor lists. Start date, name, the crop fromthe dropdown list and monitoring type should be defined as shown inexemplary FIG. 24 . Gear icon at the beginning of the crop monitor'sname takes the user to the configuration page to change the settings atstep (D6). In step (D3) clicking on the name displays the monitor in anykind of chart with all different risk level zones shown in differentcolors as shown in step (D4), exemplary FIG. 25 . In both cases (chartsand table data), disease or pest summary information is displayed on topof the page as it has the same capability on the dashboard. Diseasemonitors have risk level (severe, high, medium) color codes next totheir names as shown in FIG. 24 . Pest type monitors have the chartswith the last stage zones colored as shown in exemplary FIG. 26 . Instep (D5), users can choose to see the raw data in a table by clickingon the table sign on the top right corner of the monitor as shown inFIG. 27 . FIG. 28 shows the mobile screen for a pest type crop healthmonitors and FIG. 29 displays the dashboard with crop health monitor ona mobile phone.

FIG. 6 illustrates the degree days calculation process flow for theweb-based remote monitoring system. A degree day is a measure of heatingor cooling. Totalized degree days from an appropriate starting date areused to plan the planting of crops and management of pests and pestcontrol timing. Users can add new degree day calculations at step (E1)by clicking on the plus sign at the top right corner as shown inexemplary FIG. 31 . Temperature reading and station should be defined inthe process of degree day creation. Minimum and maximum thresholds, andtime frame are used in the calculations. The gear icon at the beginningof the degree days calculations' name takes the user to theconfiguration page to change the settings at step (E5). In step (E2)clicking on the name displays the calculations in any kind of chart asshown in step (E3), exemplary FIG. 30 . In step (E4), users can chooseto see the raw data in a table by clicking on the table sign on the topright corner of the degree day calculation as shown in FIG. 32 . FIG. 33shows the mobile phone screen with the degree days calculation table.Users can always return to the graph by clicking on the return sign atthe right top corner of the table.

FIG. 7 illustrates the report creation process flow for the web-basedremote monitoring system. At step (F1), as shown in exemplary FIG. 34 ,reports can be displayed from the list on left hand side of the screenor a new one can be created by clicking on the “New” button at thebottom of the report list. During the creation of a new report, readingtype should be defined by selecting from the reading drop down list atstep (F2). Reports will be created based on the entered time frame atstep (F3). The user defines the station from which the reading will beread or reports can be created for the entire site at step (F4). Userscan add their predefined charts described at FIG. 4 to the reports atstep (F5). These steps are done as shown in FIG. 34 . After specifyingthe details of the report, it can be saved, shown on the screen,printed, or exported to a PDF file at step (F6) as shown in exemplaryFIG. 35 (personal computer screen) and in exemplary FIG. 36 (mobilephone screen). These reports can be distributed to more than onerecipient at the specified time of the preferred days of every week orone day of every month at step (F7) as shown in exemplary FIG. 37 .Reports may have multiple distributions with different recipients atdifferent times.

FIG. 8 illustrates the data repair process flow for the for theweb-based remote monitoring system. On the repair criteria window, usercan find the measurement data for a specific sensor on the given date atstep (G1) as shown in exemplary FIG. 38 . When the user enters theinformation and hits the “Find” button, “Data” window will display thedata table at step (G2). When a row is selected on the table, a thirdwindow “Data Repair” will be shown to change the selected data at step(G3). The selected row data can be changed with the previous value, nextvalue, average value, or a new value entered by the user at step (G4) asshown in FIG. 38 .

FIG. 9 illustrates the note creation process flow for the for theweb-based remote monitoring system. Users can either open a note fromthe list by clicking on the name of the note or create a new one byclicking the plus sign on top right corner of the list window at step(H1). The note list screen can be expanded by the down arrow on the“List of Notes” window. User can select the category based notes, lastspecified number of nodes by clicking the radio buttons, or do anadvanced search by “special filter” option at step (H2) as shown inexemplary FIG. 41 . The notes can be sorted by date or importance.Clicking “List” button will change the note list shown right after thesearch window. During new note creation, note category can be setoptionally, station is assigned, and related files may be attached atstep (H3). At step (H4), note details will be shown in a new window. Thedefault screen shows only the note text. There is a link “More” for moredetails. At step (H6), the station, category, reading type, date,author, importance (high, medium, low), and privacy (public, private)can be changed by clicking on “Modify” button. If needed, a screenshot,or any document can be added to the note at step (H5). User can alwaysswitch to the “only text” screen by clicking on the “Less” link. Notescan be saved or deleted by the user. User can display or edit the notesthrough mobile phones as shown in FIGS. 39-40 .

FIG. 10 illustrates the site/station map usage process flow for the forthe web-based remote monitoring system. The system displays the currentsite map through, e.g., “Google maps” at step (11) as shown on exemplaryFIG. 42 . The name of the station is shown when the cursor moves overthe stations pivots. “M” button on the left hand side for the stationscenters that station on the screen. At step (12), “R” button displaysthe last readings from that station as shown in exemplary FIG. 43 .“More” button takes the user to the detailed readings page. Top bannerof the left hand side includes three buttons (“S”, “R”, and “A”) and adigital clock. At step (13), “A” button displays the last alerts for thecurrent site as shown in exemplary FIG. 44 . “R” refreshes the data andthe alerts. At step (14), “S” displays the map with all accessible sitesfor the current user as shown in FIG. 45 . “M” button on the left handside centers that site on the map, and “Go” switches the current site tothe selected one as shown in FIG. 42 .

FIG. 11 illustrates the control element and condition management processflow. The system allows users to list and view control elements thatdefine the elements which the controller physically controls (J2) asshown in exemplary FIG. 48 and FIG. 49 . After a physical connectionmade between the controller equipment and the equipment to be controlled(e.g., irrigation valve, pump, heater, cooler, fan etc.), the userdefines the control element in the software through step (J5). Anexemplary control element definition page is provided in FIG. 47 . For aselected control element, users can show defined control conditions(J6), list control event logs (J7) as shown in exemplary FIG. 50 ,modify the control element (J8) and send manual control commands to theelement (J9). Through the control pages, users can also view the manualcontrol history including the log of who turned on/off what and when(J4) and list control conditions (J3). When it comes to controlconditions, users can view the details of each control condition (J10)as shown in exemplary FIG. 51 or add new ones (J11). Each controlcondition is stored on the central server's database as well as therelated controller equipment at the site (e.g. field or greenhouse).Each condition can be disabled (J12), modified or deleted (J13). Controlcondition pages adapt to the device used for simplifying the browsing ona mobile device as shown in exemplary FIGS. 52A-52B.

FIG. 12 illustrates the irrigation alert definition and managementprocess flow. The first step of setting up an irrigation alert is todefine monitoring elements such as pressure switches or water flowmeters. The purpose of the irrigation alerts is to notify or alert userswhen an expected (i.e., planned) irrigation activity does or does notoccur. Users can list and view details of monitoring elements (K2) asshown in exemplary FIGS. 53, 54A, and 54B. By clicking or tapping onthe + sign shown on these pictures, users can define new monitoringelements. Once the monitoring element is defined and the irrigationschedule or the control condition is known, users can add irrigationalerts (K6). Listing and viewing the details of previously createdirrigation alerts can be done on the same page as shown in the exemplaryFIGS. 55, 56A, and 56B (K3 & K7). Irrigation alerts can be disabled(K8), modified, or deleted (K9).

In some cases, a given end-user has the authorization to monitorconditions or status and/or control irrigation or climate controlsystems at more than one site (e.g., an agricultural or landscape site).Exemplary systems are shown in FIGS. 1 and 58 , with FIG. 58illustrating multiple sites. That is, referring to FIG. 58 , a remoteserver 50 provides end-users access to one or more sites 1, 2, 3, 4,etc., for which the given user is authorized. Typically, users accessthe server 50 from remote user devices, such as a notebook or laptopcomputer 56, desktop computer 58 or mobile computer device 60, such as asmartphone or tablet computer. User devices can connect to the server 50via the Internet 52 and/or other network (e.g., local or wide areanetworks). The server 50 is communicationally coupled to devices at thevarious site via the Internet 52, wireless network 54 (e.g., a cellularor satellite network) and/or other wired or wireless network. At anygiven site, there may be one or more sensor devices 62 and/or controldevices 64, controllers or elements. These devices are separatelyillustrated, however, it is understood that a device may include bothsensor and control functionality. At least one node or device (e.g.,device 64) is coupled to a sensor and receives sensor data. At least onenode or device is coupled to and controls at least a portion of theirrigation or climate system, e.g., at least one node (e.g., controldevice 64) is coupled to an irrigation valve controlling the flow ofwater therethrough. In some cases, a given node or device is a controlonly device or the node or device is a sensor only device. In othercases, a given node device is both a sensor device and control nodedevice. It is understood that the number of devices at a given sitedepends on the needs of the irrigation site, e.g., a given site may have1-n devices, each having sensor and/or control functionality. Further,the server 50 may communicate with local devices at the site through agateway 66 or other router or network adapter, or otherwise communicatedirectly with the devices.

Thus, in a general sense, the various methods and systems describedherein are applicable to a variety of irrigation and/or climatemonitoring and/or control systems, such that authorized users areprovided remote access to information from the system/s and/or toremotely control the system/s via interaction with a configurable userinterface provided by a server system, such as server 50 (or server 4),in communication with the local system/s. Typically, the server iscoupled to a wide area network accessible by the remote users, e.g.,coupled to the Internet. The server 50 stores user information, userlogin and authorization information and system information for manyirrigation and/or climate monitoring and/or control systems located atvarious sites. The server 50 manages access to such sites allowing usersonly to get access to those systems and sites that the particular useris so authorized, and is not provided access to those systems and sitesthat the user particular user is not so authorized.

Accordingly, in some embodiments, the various user interfaces describedherein may be adapted to allow for the configuration of the displayedinformation to display information and/or control systems relating tomore than one site. In some forms, the status and/or control informationor data is displayed in the user interface together to the end-user,e.g., as a dashboard. In some embodiments, data and/or controlinformation for different sites is displayed at the same time to theend-user, and/or in the same window, and/or in adjacent windows viewableat the same time. In some embodiments, this allows the user authorizedfor multiple sites to monitor and control each of the sites from thesame user interface without having to log out of one site at the server,and log in to another site at the server. This ability may apply to anyof the embodiments described herein. By way of example, FIG. 59illustrates a configurable user interface dashboard having configurablewindows displaying status and/or control information for multiple sitesfor which the user is authorized. FIGS. 60-63 further illustrate variousexemplary configurable windows/portlets that may be included in any ofthe user interfaces described herein.

Turning to FIG. 59 in more detail, the dashboard 5900 provides anorganizational map window 5902 lists each site and its components ornodes/devices. There may be many configurable windows or portlets,several exemplary ones of which are described below. Window 5902 mayalso illustrate a map showing the various sites. For a given user withaccess to multiple sites, a map may be useful for many purposes. Thecurrent water flow status window 5904 indicates which stations are onand the runtime for each of the sites, as well as a map that would beused to illustrate a location of the sites. The site chart windows 5906,5908, 5910 and 5912 provide user configurable (selected, created)charts. For example, soil moisture charts are illustrated for sites 1and 2, whereas the charts for sites 3 and 4 are collapsed from view, butcan be expanded. The current conditions window 5914 displays climatedata specific to each site. As is clear, status and/or control data formultiple sites that the user has access to are displayed together to theuser. Similar to the embodiments described herein, such windows may beuser selected, positioned, sized, etc., such settings saved by theserver system so that the user views the information for the multiplessites without requiring that the user log out of one site and log in toanother site or switch between different sites.

FIGS. 60-63 illustrate exemplary configurable windows or portletsdisplaying information from multiple sites to an authorized user.Station map window 6000 of FIG. 60 illustrates a station mapping ofvarious stations for multiple sites, e.g., Acme Field, Gandolf Ranch andRigley Field being different sites. Also illustrated is a map helpfulfor the user to visual the relative location of the different sites. Forexample, an icon (square with star icon) designates a given site. Theuser can click on an icon to expand further. For example, clicking onone site icon, may enlarge to show the location of the stations for thatsite. The current Irrigation status window 6100 of FIG. 61 illustratesthe current status of irrigation at each site. The current weatherstatus window 6200 of FIG. 62 illustrates the current weather conditionsfor the different sites. In some embodiments, the weather information,such as forecast data, may be retrieved from external sources, e.g.,NOAA, and displayed as part of a window and/or dashboard. The flow meterreadings window 6300 of FIG. 63 illustrates the current readings fromthe flow meters at the different sites for which the user has access. Itis noted that not all data is illustrated in FIGS. 61-63 but would bedisplayed if available in use. Again, the user can view this datatogether for multiple sites for which the user has access withoutswitching between sites or logging out and into another site.

It is noted that in some embodiments, one or more of the various userinterfaces described herein, such as one or more of the dashboards,and/or windows are mobile capable. For example, a user can switchbetween web and mobile modes. In some embodiments, the user device isdetected and if a mobile or tablet device is detected, the screen willadapt itself to the mobile device's screen resolution, and rearrange thewindows and menus for easy access from that particular mobile device.

The remote monitoring and control processes described above may beimplemented in software, hardware, firmware, or any combination thereof.The processes are preferably implemented in one or more computerprograms executing on a programmable computer (which can be part of thecentral server system 4) including a processor, a storage mediumreadable by the processor (including, e.g., volatile and non-volatilememory and/or storage elements), and input and output devices. Eachcomputer program can be a set of instructions (program code) in a codemodule resident in the random access memory of the computer. Untilrequired by the computer, the set of instructions may be stored inanother computer memory (e.g., in a hard disk drive, or in a removablememory such as an optical disk, external hard drive, memory card, orflash drive) or stored on another computer system and downloaded via theInternet or other network.

Having thus described several illustrative embodiments, it is to beappreciated that various alterations, modifications, and improvementswill readily occur to those skilled in the art. For example, thescreenshots are provided by way of example only, and can be modified invarious ways. Such alterations, modifications, and improvements areintended to form a part of this disclosure, and are intended to bewithin the spirit and scope of this disclosure. While some examplespresented herein involve specific combinations of functions orstructural elements, it should be understood that those functions andelements may be combined in other ways according to the presentdisclosure to accomplish the same or different objectives. Inparticular, acts, elements, and features discussed in connection withone embodiment are not intended to be excluded from similar or otherroles in other embodiments.

Additionally, elements and components described herein may be furtherdivided into additional components or joined together to form fewercomponents for performing the same functions. For example, the computerserver system may comprise one or more physical machines, or virtualmachines running on one or more physical machines. In addition, thecentral server system may comprise a cluster of computers or numerousdistributed computers that are connected by the Internet or anothernetwork.

Accordingly, the foregoing description and attached drawings are by wayof example only, and are not intended to be limiting.

What is claimed is:
 1. A remote monitoring and control system forlandscape or agricultural environments, each of the landscape oragricultural environments having at least one irrigation deviceconfigured to monitor environmental, soil, or climate conditions and/orconfigured to control irrigation or climate, the remote monitoring andcontrol system comprising: a server computer system located remotelyfrom the landscape or agricultural environments, said server computersystem communicatively coupled to at least one irrigation device in eachlandscape or agricultural environment over a communications network andconfigured to receive data from and control operation of the at leastone irrigation device, said server computer system also coupled toclient devices operated by end-users over a communications network andwherein the server computer system is configured to transmit data to andreceive remote control commands or queries from respective clientdevices as directed by the end-users for respective one or more of theat least one irrigation device; wherein said server computer systemprovides a respective configurable user interface to the end-users, saiduser interface comprising a dashboard configured to be customized byeach respective end-user to display user selected data and at least afirst map, wherein settings for dashboards configured by end-users arestored and used for subsequent uses of one or more of the dashboards bythe respective end-users, wherein the user selected data and the firstmap displayed to the respective end-user correspond to at least one sitefor which the respective end-user is authorized to access data such thatthe first map from the at least one site is displayed showing on thefirst map irrigation zones and status data to the end-user, wherein thestatus data comprises at least one of environmental, soil, and climatecondition data.
 2. The remote monitoring and control system of claim 1wherein the user selected data displayed to the end-user corresponds tomultiple sites for which the respective end-user is authorized to accessthe data such that the data from the multiple sites is displayedtogether to the respective end-user without requiring the respectiveend-user to switch between sites or log out of one site to accessanother site.
 3. The remote monitoring and control system of claim 1wherein said dashboard comprises one or more pages corresponding to therespective end-user and that are accessible by the respective end-userthrough the dashboard.
 4. The remote monitoring and control system ofclaim 3, wherein the server computer system communicates with differenttypes of client devices including personal computers and mobile devices,and wherein the server computer system is configured to adapt thedashboard configured by the respective end-user to the type of clientdevice used by the respective end-user.
 5. The remote monitoring andcontrol system of claim 4, wherein the dashboard displayed on a mobiledevice is adapted such that sets of the information on the dashboard arerearranged in a column format avoiding a need for horizontal scrollingand a menu formatted to fit a screen of the mobile device enablingbrowsing and clicking on displayed links on the mobile device.
 6. Theremote monitoring and control system of claim 1, wherein the dashboardis configured to be configurable by the respective end-users toautomatically generate and distribute reports based on data from the atleast one irrigation device of the at least one site on a periodicbasis, and the dashboard is configured to display multiple reports aspreviously customized by the respective end-users each with differenttitles and display content, wherein the respective reports aredistributed to different ones of the end-users according to differentschedules.
 7. The remote monitoring and control system of claim 1,wherein the dashboard is further configured to enable the respectiveend-user to access a stored manual control command history through thedashboard, wherein the manual control command history comprises at leastone of an identification of an individual that implemented a firstmanual control, and a time when the first manual control wasimplemented.
 8. The remote monitoring and control system of claim 1,wherein the end-users are each only authorized to access a subset of oneor more certain sites of multiple different sites.
 9. The remotemonitoring and control system of claim 1, wherein the dashboard isconfigured to display one or more charts for the at least one sitedefined by a respective one of the end-users, wherein said one or morecharts, wherein the client devices comprise the mobile device, andwherein when the one or more charts are shown on the mobile device, thesize of the chart matches the screen resolution of the mobile device.10. The remote monitoring and control system of claim 1, wherein thedashboard displays irrigation status information for the at least onesite including current soil moisture status, water bank fullness inpercentage, estimated next irrigation, flow meter, pressure switchand/or valve status, and recommendations to the respective end-userregarding when and how much water should be applied for each irrigationzone.
 11. The remote monitoring and control system of claim 1 whereinthe displayed first map displays the status data such that at least twoirrigation zones are shown having different colors with the differentcolors corresponding to different levels of soil moisture.
 12. Theremote monitoring and control system of claim 1 wherein the displayedfirst map displays information of respective stations when therespective end-user moves a cursor over a corresponding displayedstation pivot.
 13. The remote monitoring and control system of claim 1,wherein a second displayed map displays those multiple sites for whichthe respective end-user has authorized access and visually illustratesthe relative location of the multiple different sites, and furtherdisplays site icons each designating one of the multiple sites.
 14. Theremote monitoring and control system of claim 13, wherein the dashboardis configured to display at least a sub-set of the data illustrating acurrent status of irrigation at each of the multiple sites designated bythe displayed site icons, and the user interface is configured to enablethe respective end-user to view at least the sub-set of data togetherfor the multiple sites for which the end-user has access withoutswitching between sites or logging out and into another site.
 15. Theremote monitoring and control system of claim 14, wherein the userinterface is configured to detect when the respective end-user activatesa displayed icon corresponding to a first site of the multiple sites andcause an enlargement of the map to show the location of the stations forthe first site.
 16. The remote monitoring and control system of claim13, wherein the first map and the second map comprise overhead satelliteimage maps.
 17. The remote monitoring and control system of claim 1,wherein the server computer system is configured to store at least someof the settings as specified by the end-users, and wherein the servercomputer system is configured to apply the at least some of the settingsin causing subsequent displaying of the one or more dashboards to theend-users.
 18. A method of remote monitoring and controlling landscapeor agricultural environments, comprising: establishing, through a servercomputer system, communication connections over a communications networkwith client devices operated by end-users, wherein the server computersystem is located remotely from multiple different landscape oragricultural environments; receiving data from and controlling operationof at least one irrigation device in each of the multiple landscape oragricultural environments; transmitting over the communication networkdata to the end-users associated with one or more of the multiplelandscape or agricultural environments; receiving, over thecommunication network, remote control commands or queries from theclient devices as directed by the end-users for respective one or moreof the at least one irrigation device at one or more of the multiplelandscape or agricultural environments; providing, from the servercomputer system, a configurable user interface to the end-users, anddisplaying through the user interface a respective dashboard customizedby each end-user displaying user selected data and at least a first map;and storing settings for dashboards configured by the end-users, andusing the settings for subsequent uses of one or more of the dashboardsby the end-users, wherein the user selected data and the first mapdisplayed to the respective end-user correspond to at least one site forwhich the respective end-user is authorized to access data such that thefirst map from the at least one site is displayed showing on the mapirrigation zones and status data to the respective end-user, wherein thestatus data comprises at least one of environmental, soil, and climatecondition data.
 19. The method of remote monitoring and controllinglandscape or agricultural environments of claim 18, wherein thedisplaying through the user interface the respective dashboard comprisesdisplaying together to the end-user the user selected data correspondingto multiple sites for which the respective end-user is authorized toaccess the data without requiring the end-user to switch between sitesor log out of one site to access another site.
 20. The method of remotemonitoring and controlling landscape or agricultural environments ofclaim 18, further comprising adapting the dashboard configured by therespective end-user to a type of client device, of different types ofclient devices comprising personal computers and mobile devices, used bythe respective end-user.